What’s not to like about a martini? There’s a variety of tasty flavors, the glass is pretty nifty, and it’s a one-way ticket to drunksville (no stops except for the toilet). Then you’ve got the martini atmosphere – trendy, chic, and acceptably pretentious. The formula’s pretty solid, but when you try to mix the martini bar with other drinking genres, confusion may ensue. Tryst Martini Bar at 41 W. Church Street in downtown Orlando strangely hints at some sports bar and dance club leanings, despite having a strong martini lounge environment.
Décor: First, the trek to find Tryst is thrilling: head down the narrow scaffolding-covered alley to the left of the main block of bars on Church Street that include Antigua and Big Belly Brewery until you reach the stairs and head up to the tall-ceilinged, slightly industrial lounge. Tryst feels tucked away but spacious, decorated with cherry wood and black paint, and plenty of tables spread out for crowds or couples. Yet everything feels a little off since there are also enormous flatscreen televisions on the walls tuned to sports games - and there you sit, gaping at the screens with all that ambiance dripping around you.
The Bar: The martini menu offers a couple dozen variations on the standard theme, including an impressive array of “sin” martinis modeled after the seven deadlies. The prices range between $8 and $12, mostly chilling out in the $10 neighborhood. A wells mixer costs a befuddling $5.30 (you need change now?), and has a decent pour, but not outstanding. A Yuengling (which stands among regular domestics, Corona, Heineken and the like) runs $4.70 (again with the change!).
Thursdays are ladies’ nights, with $5 martinis, $3 Miller Lites, and 2-for-1 shots. Happy hour runs Tuesday to Friday from 4:30-7:30 p.m. with $8 martinis.
Sounds: Another strange aspect of Tryst is the choice in music: radio dance hits, which is more appropriate for a club than a lounge (especially one with little dance space). At least it’s at a volume that doesn’t make your order of a Lust martini sound like a cheap pick-up line.
Crowd: Tryst (like much of Church Street) is popular for bachelorette parties, and what seems to be couples on first dates or rekindling the romance. The patrons are young, but don’t seem the types to hang out at Mako’s and Chillers (except for maybe the bachelorette partiers and their phallic lollipops).
Bottom Line: Tryst is a nice break from Church Street bacchanalia, but if you want a truly classy martini experience check ahead of time to make sure there are no sports games on.
